Printer&#39;s form.



PATENTED DEC. 1, 1903.v

- F. G. LEETHEM.

PRINTERS FORM;

APPLICATION rump AUG. 22, 1901.

2 SHEETS-$HEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

1/v VEN Tole.

BY Z0? A T TORNE Y.

No. 745,869. PATENTED DEC. 1, 1903.

F. C. LEBTHEM;

PRINTBRS FORM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 22, 1901. no MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

M w I :G/l IT I E7. 1% I 1 I E 1] F n f I wjzmssns 4 INVENTOR wd. d%

plate, but more may be used if found necessary. The spaces around the backing behind the plates may be filled by pica slugs G of the proper length. which will lie between the hooks and beneath the projecting margins 12, as will be readily understood, and it will be observed that the width of these spaces will always be at least one and one-half pieas. In case it is made up of a half-pica in this way a half-pica slug must of course be inserted also to make up the difference.

The form will be built up as usualfrom one corner, as indicated in Fig. 1, and to illustrate how my invention is adapted to make these electrotypes set up beside ordinary type such type are represented at C at the right. It will be observed that since the plates are all of a width eommensurable in even picas, even where plates of widely-different dimensions are set up together, as shown in Fig. 1, the space around them can be filled by pica type or type out to the point system, so that they will justify perfectly with the plates, as indicated.

The outer side of the body of type may be retained by a pica rule or long pica slugs, and outside of this the usual furniture F may be provided and the whole form clamped up in the usual manner by the quoins E.

From the arrangement described it will be observed that plates of any dimensions commensurable in units of the type system used can be readily set up, so that the retaininghooks will justify with the backs or blocks behind. At the same time the plates themselves are justified by means of the notches d and retained. in place. No adjustments are necessary. lVhen the hook fits the back, it fits the printing-plates. The advantages of this method are very apparent and much appreciated where it is desired to make colored prints, for since the adjustable hooks are dispensed with a plate to print a different color can be quickly set up in the form, and when blocked up and clamped its printing-face cannot fail to be in the proper position or register. This will appear more fully hereinafter.

It should appear from the foregoing that in each electroplate the length and breadth over all are multiples of the unit of a typemeasuring system. Furthermore, as the margin is a half-pica wide and the hook a pica thick each hook projects beyond the plate a half-pica. Hence when placed in the form the dimensions over the outside of the hooks are likewise commensurable in the units of the system used.

I may use the point system, in which case I would retain the same actual sizes for the margin and the hook, and their dimensions could then be expressed as multiples of the unit and perfect register could be obtained as before.

The blocks H, one of which is shown in section in Fig. 2, are made hollow, as indicated, and are each provided with an opening 71. in their upper face to facilitate their removal. The hooks are similarly provided with an opening d for the same purpose.

To illustrate how my invention enables perfect back-to-back register to be obtained, I shall refer now to Figs. 4 and 5, showing two forms. P, P P and P represent, respectively,the printing-plates shown in Fig. 4. 13, p p and 13 represent the plates of Fig. 5, the plates of the one form being intended to print upon the opposite side of the leaves printed by the corresponding plates in the other form, as will be readily understood. Thus P is to back on p, P on 9 the. It is of course easy to arrange plates so that they will be nearly in register back to back; but plates set up in the form as these plates are will come exactly back to back, and so far from encountering any difficulty it is hardly an exaggeration to say that they register themselves automatically.

Before the printing-plates are received by the printer they are trimmed upon a machine also of my invention and forming the subject-matter of a separate application, said application having been filed August 30, 1901, and bearing the Serial No. 73,832. For our present purposes, however, it is only necessary to say that this machine not only cuts the printing-plates to definite dimensions, but it centers the printing matter of each plate, so that it bears the's'ame relation to its margin after trimming, as does the printing matter of any other plate of the same kind and cut to the same size. This means that if two of the plates printed successively upon the same sheet of paper with their margins occupyingprecisely the same position their type-lines would also occupy precisely the same positions and would aline throughout. These systematically-trimmed plates are systematically arranged in the forms, the two forms being made identical throughout in their make-up. The method shown in connection with these two latter figures is somewhat of a modification of that shown in connection with Figs. 1 and 2. Here the hooks D, where they occur between the plates, are set back to back, as indicated. The particular arrangement adopted is of course immaterial so long as it is the same for both the forms. The forms should evidently be made up as right and left, respectively, as shown, so that if one form were inverted and laid upon the other each of its plates would fall upon the corresponding plate of the other. Furthermore, the edges of the printing-plates will coincide or register each to each, since they are at the same distance from the sides of the chase, and the printing matter of the plates will also aline, since the plates have been trimmed alike.

What I claim is 1. In a printers form, in combination, a chase, printing-plates, retaining-hooks therefor, between said chase and said printingplates, said hooks being commensurable in a type-measnrin g system, whereby the distance IIO from said chase to said printing-plates is commensurable in the same system.

2. In a printers form, in combination, printing-plates, hooks adapted to retain the same, a backing for said plates, a chase, said plates, said hooks and said backing being commensurable in the same measuring system, whereby the distance of said plates from two sides of said chase is commensurable in the said measuring system.

A printers form comprising a plurality of printing-plates, hooks adapted to retain the same, said hooks and said plates being commensurable in the unit of the same typemeasuring system, and the printing matter of said plates being centrally located upon the same.

i. A printers form comprising a plurality of printing-plates having beveled margins, undercut hooks adapted to engage therewith, a backing for said plates, all of said parts being commensurable in the same type-measuring system, and the printing matter upon each of said plates being centrally located with respect to the margins thereof.

5. A pair of printing-forms comprising printing-plates adapted to print upon opposite sides of the same sheet and slugs arranged around said plates, corresponding plates being similarly arranged, whereby they will register, said slugs being commensurable in the typemeasuring system.

(3. As a new article of manufacture,a printin g-plate hook havin g a notch upon the inner face thereof to receive the margin of a printing-plate, said hook being of a thickness co mmensurable in a unit of a type-measurin g system.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a hook adapted to retain a printing-plate, said hook being adapted to project laterally beyond the margin thereof, an amount commensurable in units of a type-measuring system.

8. As a new article of manufacture,a printers retaining-hook having a notch, the depth of said notch and the thickness of said hook being commensurable in units of a typemeasuring system.

9. In a printing-form, in combination a printing-plate having beveled edges, and hooks having notches adapted toengage therewith, the dimensions of said plates over said beveled edges being commensurable in units of a type-measuring system, said hooks projecting laterally beyond said beveled edges, an amount commensurable in the said units of a type-measuring system.

10. In a printing-form, in combination, a printing-plate having beveled margins, and hooks adapted to engage therewith,the width of said margins being commensurable in units of a type-measuring system, and the width of said hooks being commensurable in the units of said type-measuring system.

11. In a printing-form, in combination, a printing-plate having beveled margins, and hooks adapted to engage therewith, the width of said plate over said margins being commensurable in units of a type-measuring system, said hooks projecting beyond and beneath said plate, amounts which are commensurable in the units of said type-measurin g system.

12. In a printing-form, in combination, a printingplate, a backing therefor, which is commensurable in units of a type-measuring system, the distance of the margins of said plate from the sides of said backing being commensurable in units of a type-measuring system.

13. In a printing-form, in combination, a printing-plate the lateral dimensions whereof are commensurable in units of a type-measuring system, a backing for said plate, the dimensions whereof are also commensurable in units of said type-measuring system, the distance from the margins of said plate to the sides of said backing being also commensurable in the units of the same type-measuring system.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK O. LEETHEM.

IVitnesses ELLA L. PARDEE, F. D. AMMEN. 

